"Thoughtful" passage

A BRAND NEW DAY    

by Shirley J. Green

Five in the morning, off goes the alarm

I get up to welcome the dawn

No one is ever the same

Some days the sky is aflame

With Orange, red & yellow lighting up the clouds.

Others with softer hues, whatever the artist allows

Patterns change in the twinkling of an eye,

Often grey clouds appear and hide the display.

Then my eyes turn to other beauty

Bushes tumbling bright blooms, vibrant plant bouquets

A squirrel rushing crazily from tree to tree,

The regally robed jay alighting nearby

A lemon-garbed spider catches my eye,

All this is the backdrop

Of the dawn chorus performance.

Harmony, counterpoint, cacophony

Rise and fall of song, Nature’s symphony.

On to the stage comes the soprano

The most petite among them all,

The wren, sweet notes trilling forth

Carried on the morning air

Her heart singing for all its worth

I thank the Creator for all of this

Then reluctantly turn away to face the day.

Thoughtful" passage

THE FESTIVE SEASON

 

Oh I do love Christmas when the festive time is here

Paper chains and tinsel and a house full of good cheer

Pretty lights and silver balls adorn the Christmas tree

And there on top a fairy doll a sight for all to see.

Underneath the branches we spy packages and things

All with pretty bows and multi coloured strings.

Oh I do love Christmas Eve it’s full of expectation

And in the kitchen everywhere there’s lots of preparation,

Turkeys and chickens, gammons by the pound

Cheeses of all sorts some oblong, square and round,

Sausage rolls and mince pies the smell of all the baking

Mother with her floured hands involved in all the making.

Oh I do love Christmas Day with presents for us all

Gifts in different sizes, some short, some fat, some small,

Whatever thing we open it’s such a nice surprise

The contents mean so very much, far more than that of size

During the day we eat and eat until our Tums are full

And don’t forget the crackers from time to time we pull.

Oh I do love Boxing Day another festive time

One can visit the theatre to see a pantomime

Then there is the football, we watch our favourite team

Whether it’s on the telly or on the village green

We often spend the day to meet our friends and family

And round the fire we gather and chatter cosily.

Oh I do love New Year’s Eve another year is ending

Greetings for the year ahead people all are sending

When the clock strikes midnight we join our hands in line

And altogether sing the song For Auld Lang Syne

The New Year comes and we know not what happenings it brings

But I’m sure the time will fly as it usually does on wings.

Thoughtful" passage

A MEMORY OF LOURDES

We travelled by sea, we travelled by train

All night in the darkness and sometimes in the rain,

Everyone pilgrims some well and some sick

But one without faith would be so hard to pick.

The holy town of Lourdes was our final destination

So it was with joy and hope on arrival at our station,

Some went to hotels some hospital to stay

There were buses and ambulance to show us the way.

Our beds were ready so clean and inviting

Thoughts of our week ahead were simply so exciting.

We tried to rest our weary bones after such a journey long

But through the open windows came St Bernadette’s sweet song.

The weather was hot with sometimes a shower

But this didn’t daunt us to savour each hour,

Processions and services we all did attend

All with our helpers, with caring hands to lend.

Some of our helpers were young and not so young

All of them angels their praises to be sung.

Their patience and their fortitude remained throughout the week

And never any thought of thanks did any of them seek.

We were but one big family all with a single thought

To gain some hope and guidance that all of us had sought,

While visiting the Grotto we saw the crutches hanging there

Where miracles had happened, we could but sit and stare.

We visited the baths where the healing waters were

Submerged but for a second and out with not a stir,

There was no need for towels to wipe our bodies dry

And to describe the feeling would be very hard to try.

On arrival back to Sussex we said our fond farewells,

And somewhere in the distance we could almost hear the bells.

The bells of St Bernadette by now some miles away

They seemed to say come back to us, I’m sure we will one day.